Table of Contents
Personal Life:
Johnson first became father to Andre Johnson in 1981, he was born to Melissa Mitchell. Although raised by his mother, Andre visited Johnson each summer and also worked for Magic Johnson Enterprises as a marketing director later. Johnson married Earlitha “Cookie” Kelly in a small wedding in Lansing in 1991, which included guests like Thomas, Aguirre, and Herb Williams. Johnson and Cookie share a son named Earvin III (EJ), who is openly gay and a star on the reality show Rich Kids of Beverly Hills. The couple later adopted a daughter in 1995 named Elisa. Johnson has a vacation home in Dana Point, California, and resides in Beverly Hills.
Johnson practices Christianism and has said his faith is “the most important thing” in his life.
In 2010, Magic Johnson and other NBA players such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Bill Russell, as well as Maya Moore from the WNBA, played a basketball game with President Barack Obama as an exhibition for a group of military troops who had been injured in action. The venue of the game was played at Fort McNair’s gym. Obama’s 49th birthday was celebrated with the basketball games festivities.
Johnson owns a foundation called the Magic Johnson Foundation whose main goal is HIV/AIDS awareness and helping its victims.
Professional Life:
Magic Johnson dominated the court as one of legendary professional basketball’s best players for 13 years. He retired from the Los Angeles Lakers in 1991 after revealing that he had tested positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, in 1996 he later returned for one final season.
Awards & Achievements:
- 10-time NBA champion (five as a player, five as owner/executive)
- Three-time NBA MVP
- Three-time Finals MVP
- Nine-time All-NBA First Team
- 12-time NBA All-Star
- Two-time All-Star Game MVP
- 1979 NCAA champion (Michigan State)
- 1992 Olympic gold medal (U.S. national team)
- 1992 NAACP Image Award – Jackie Robinson Sports Award
- 1992 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award
- Two-time Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame inductee (2002 as an individual, 2010 as a member of “The Dream Team”)
- College Basketball Hall of Fame (Class of 2006)
- FIBA Hall of Fame (class of 2017 as a member of “The Dream Team”)
- Two retired numbers – Lakers (32), Michigan State (33)
- Two statues – in Los Angeles (in front of the Staples Center), and at Michigan State
- 2016 WNBA champion (as part-owner of the Sparks)
- 2020 World Series champion (as part-owner of the Dodgers)
- 1993 Grammy Award (Best Spoken Word Album)
- Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Endorsements:
- Starbucks
- 24 Hour Fitness
- T.G.I Fridays
- AMC Theatres
